Remus Makes a Choice
by ssvensson429
Summary: How did James convince Remus that being financially supported didn't mean charity? Sirius Black, of course. One shot, takes place sometime in 1980. RL/SB. Disclaimer: none of these characters are mine.


Remus Lupin was working as a bartender in a run-down part of London. No, it wasn't exactly what he had planned on doing after graduating from Hogwarts with a top-tier wizarding education, but he couldn't exactly get a normal job like the rest of his friends. As a bartender at a muggle bar, no one asked any questions about his demeanor and appearance around the full moon or any other time, and no one questioned him when he filled out his availability. Besides, it meant that during the day, he could work for the Order, while still making enough money by night to get by. Unlike his friends, he didn't have the luxury of an inheritance or parental money.

The work was calming, and making drinks was much easier than potions class—something Remus was glad of, as it had never been his strongest subject. There was a certain rhythm to the work, an order to it that Remus appreciated. Nothing strange or bizarre happened, and his coworkers were pleasant.

"You wouldn't have any butterbeer, would you mate?"

Remus' eyes widened. He spun around, nearly dropping the beer he was filling from the tap. He knew that voice. It was Sirius Black.

The Marauder flashed Remus a grin, shaking his head. "Merlin, _bartending_? You really don't know your strengths do you?"

"Padfoot," Remus hissed. "You can't _be_ here, and you can't be asking for things we don't have," He explained, placing the beer on the bar for a server to send it to its table.

"We need to talk, Remus," Sirius said matter-of-factly. "And I needed to get your attention. In private, would be best." Remus nodded. Anything with Sirius was better said in private.

"Amy," Remus called out to the pretty, raven-haired bartender. "I need to step out for a moment. Can you watch the bar?"

"Really, John? It's peak hours—"

"—Please," Remus strained. "Just a few minutes."

Amy sighed. "Fine. You owe me one though—one of your rum punches would be ideal."

Remus smiled, and stepped out from behind the bar. "For you Amy? Of course." His attention was then directed at Sirius, whose grey eyes twinkled underneath his bushy black mane of hair. "Come," Remus said curtly, "We'll head out back."

"Of course, _John_," Sirius smirked. "Coming."

Remus led Sirius outside the bar, to the alleyway. It was deserted—the perfect place to talk.

"Alright, Pads, what is it?" Remus asked. "I don't have a lot of time—Amy won't cover me forever."

"So, you go by John now, Moony?" Sirius asked.

"It's my middle name and sounds much more muggle than Remus. I'm blending in," Remus explained. "But I'm guessing that's not why you can all this way?"

"Correct, Moony! You clever fellow," Sirius quipped. "No, I'm actually here on request of James. You know, he's mildly offended that you won't accept his offer."

"To what," Remus said bitterly. "To support me financially? Adopt me as a dependent? I'm an adult, I can take care of myself. Just like you, just like him and Lily. You know how I feel about this."

"You think this is you taking care of yourself?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Your hair's gone ragged, and you're somehow even paler and thinner than you were when I first met you, which I frankly didn't think was possible. You live in a shoebox—"

"—_everyone_ in London lives in a shoebox—"

"—and you're running yourself ragged. You can't keep this up. Order meetings in the morning, running with those dreadful people in the afternoon—"

"—My kind, you mean?" Remus snarled. Sirius was referring to his purpose in the Order—to go undercover and get information on how He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named was recruiting werewolves. It was incredibly important and fruitful work, but Remus would be lying if he said it didn't take a toll. He wasn't like the others, who took their condition to mean they had to be vicious and demonic every day of the month.

"They're no more your kind than this lot here," Sirius snapped, "And I won't let you convince yourself otherwise. You belong with us," he said simply. "With me."

"I've told you a million times," Remus said softly. "You don't want that."

"Don't want to spend time with my boyfriend?" Sirius asked. "What kind of prat do you take me for?"

"I told you not to call me that," Remus hissed. "You don't want _me_ as a boyfriend."

"Says who?"

"Says _me_!" Remus nearly yelled. "Sirius, it's not the same as being my friend. There's more involved."

"Yeah, I know," Sirius scoffed. "That's the point of being your _boyfriend_—I'm more than your friend, Remus. We snog, we shag—"

"—So I'm a _lay_ to you?"

"Merlin, Remus, what's gotten into you?" Sirius asked rather angrily. Remus sighed.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to snap. It's hard, being around…the others. I become something I'm not. It's hard to turn that on and off every day."

"Then don't," Sirius said, taking Remus' hand. "Do something else—anything else. You're brilliant at charms, at defense, and you're just a good a wizard—no, scratch that, you're a _better wizard_ than either James or me," He said. "You should've tried to become an auror. Anything but this."

"You know very well that I'll never be an auror," Remus said darkly.

"Dumbledore would—"

"Dumbledore's done _more_ than enough for me. He's given me an opportunity to be useful in a way that few can be," Remus said, trying his best not to snap. "I don't need pity, or charity. Not from Dumbledore, not from James, not from…"

"Me?" Sirius asked, finishing Remus' thought. "Bloody hell, Moony I don't pity you. I love you. Have you ever thought, just for a minute, that this isn't about you? That maybe, just maybe, I came all this way to beg you to take James' money for my sake?" Remus fell silent. Sirius scoffed. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Do you know what it does to me, to see you like this? To see the man I love reduced to skin and bones, working a dead-end job just to get by? It hurts, Remus," Sirius said, his voice cracking. "I can't sleep. I can't eat. I sit in my bed, alone, wondering where you are and what you're doing, praying to a god you know I don't believe in that you're okay. If you could just take James' money, move in with me, and quit this job, do you know how much happier I'd feel?"

Remus had no words. He hadn't realized the toll his life had been taking on Sirius. He loved him too, and to hear how much pain Sirius was in…Well, it was more than his heart could take.

"If you won't take money from James, why can't you ask your father? He's not like my parents, he actually wants to help you."

"You know very well why I can't do that," Remus said softly. "Ever since mum died, he's been living off scraps as much as I have. He can barely make rent payments on his new place, much less save for retirement, and I know he'll never say it to me but he just can't afford to take me on. Even going home to have him take care of me after transformations is a burden to him."

"I didn't know," Sirius said softly. "I'm sorry, Remus—really, I am, but with James' money you could afford that new potion. I hear it's wonderful, and I'd be perfectly able to take care of you the next day. Please," Sirius begged. "Please, consider it. For me?"

"Padfoot—"

"Please," Sirius stressed. "I'm begging like a _dog_. I'll do anything. Move in with me. Not as a charity case, not as a patient I need to nurse back to health, but as my boyfriend. Move in with me."

"I have to get back to work—"

Remus was cut off by a kiss. He hadn't felt those lips in some time, and it felt…_safe_. Like home. Remus leaned into the kiss, running his hands through that curly black hair. He pulled Sirius closer, reaching to his neck to—

"_Ahem_."

Remus pulled away. Amy had opened the door to the bar, and was facing the alleyway.

"When you're done snogging your boyfriend, John, wanna come back in and take drink orders?"

Remus felt his ears turn red. He coughed, and looked sheepishly at Amy.

"Er…I'll be in. One more minute."

"One more minute," Amy repeated. "Or I'll come back out here and drag you in myself." When the door closed, Remus turned back to Sirius.

"I'll think about it, Padfoot. I will. But for now—"

"—I know, I know. You're a working man now," Sirius grinned. "Just promise me you'll really consider it."

"I will," Remus said briskly. "Solemnly swear. Now, you've got to go—Amy's gonna mount my head to the wall if I don't get back in there." He gave Sirius one last kiss on the lips, before vanishing back into the bar. Sirius stayed in the alley for a moment, and when he was confident no one was around, apparated away.

After Remus' shift had ended, he packed up his things and ventured off into the night. Not to his shoebox apartment, however. This time, he was headed to Godric's Hollow to visit an old friend.

James Potter was awakened by a knock at the door.

"No," Lily moaned. "Whoever it is, they'll come back."

"No, they won't," James whispered, grabbing his glasses from his bedside table. Sirius had told him what he had set out to do that night. James had been waiting weeks for this knock. "I'll be back shortly, love."

James slipped on his robe and walked down the stairs of his and Lily's home. Opening the door, he smiled.

"I wasn't expecting you," He admitted. Remus sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"I wasn't expecting me either. Look, I—"

"—I knew Sirius would talk some into you. Now come in," James said. "It's cold out. I'll put on a kettle."

"I'll only be a minute," Remus said. "I know it's late, I didn't want to wake you—"

"Bullocks," James said with a yawn. "You'll stay the night. I'm not sending you back out there. Besides," He smiled, "Sirius is here. He's sleeping in the guest room tonight—where else are you expecting to go?"

Remus turned a bit red, and stepped inside, gently shutting the door.

"So, you know," He said softly. James rolled his eyes.

"Of course I know—it's the worst kept secret in the Order. And he's always here, going on about you. Moony this, and Moony that, and all those looks you give each other, like you're ready to pounce but don't know how. I always knew you two had soft spots for each other—although I suppose hard-ons are more appropriate," James said with a chuckle. Remus was absolutely pink in the face.

"So, you know why I'm here," Remus said, following James into the kitchen. "Look, I don't want charity—"

"I know," James said. "Believe me mate, we all know. Look, I have more money than I know what to do with. And I'd much rather some of it go to you. Don't think of it as charity, think of it as a loan. You'll pay me back one day, when you open up your bookstore in Hogsmeade."

"Prongs, I don't think I'll be opening up a bookstore any time soon."

"Then you'll make me a pie, or babysit when that day comes—I don't care. Whatever you need to do to feel like you've made it up to me is fine by me. I'd give you the money no strings attached, but you've made it clear that isn't on the table."

"Thank you," Remus said softly.

"For what, the bloody tea? Remus, it's—"

"_No_, you twat, for the _money_," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

"It's a loan," James insisted. "You don't need to thank me. Now, chamomile, right?" He asked. Remus smiled.

"You remembered…"

"I didn't forget," James said simply. "So, Padfoot tells me you're working as a bartender? You were never all that good at potions," He said, chuckling.

"It's much easier than potions," Remus insisted. "And I'm good at it. I liked it."

"Liked…as in…"

"As in I handed in my two-weeks as I left."

"Well, about time," James said, the water in the kettle just starting to boil. "I was worried you'd still try and keep that up." Remus shook his head.

"Sirius would have my arse," Remus said, smiling, sitting at the table. "He was going off about me overworking myself, I figured if I'm giving in on one front, I might as well just let the rest go."

"Sounds to me like he already has your arse—"

"Oi!" Remus interjected. The kettle whistled, and James poured the water into the teapot. "So…what's this about babysitting?"

"Oh, that," James said quietly. "Well, you don't breathe a word of this to Lily or Sirius, but…" James couldn't hold back his smile. He was positively giddy. "Expect baby Potter sometime in July."

"James!" Remus explained. "That's fantastic—"

"Not a word," James insisted. "Lily is adamant we don't tell anyone yet."

"But still," Remus insisted, "A little Prongslet…it's exactly what we need in this world." James laughed.

"Prongslet…You know, it'd be better if it had a little Moonyfoot to play with," James quipped. Remus rolled his eyes.

"And how, exactly, would that work?" Remus asked, brow raised.

"Well, you know," James began, "I'm not exactly sure, but you lot would figure it out." He took two cups from the cupboard, and began to pour the tea, meeting Remus at the kitchen table. "Although given how long it's taken for you to agree to move in with 'ol Paddy, I'm thinking…10 years?"

Remus rolled his eyes and took his cup of tea. "Sure mate. 10 years." Remus pondered. What would that be like? He pictured a little version of James, running around with a little version of Sirius, and smiled. Of course, they'd be less prat-like—Lily and Remus would see to that. The four parents could get together for tea and watch the little ones run around. "I can't wait," He said, taking a sip.

The two friends caught up, and when the tea was gone, Remus stood up and pushed in his chair.

"I ought to check up on the sleeping beauty," He mused. "Expect he'll be surprised to see me?"

James snorted. "Sure, if he wakes up. But breakfast tomorrow, bright and early…you still know how to make cheesy eggs?"

"Assuming you have cheese and eggs, they'll be cooking before you even wake up," Remus assured him. The two parted ways, and Remus quietly tip-toed into the guest bedroom of the house. Sure enough, curled up in bed, was his boyfriend. Remus slipped off his shoes and crawled under the covers, the warmth escaping off of Sirius' body a feeling he had missed.

"Prongs?" A groggy Sirius whispered. Remus chuckled softly.

"Mate, if Prongs has been crawling into bed with you, I'm going to have a word."

"Remus…" Sirius said sleepily. "You came."

"I came to my senses. Goodnight Padfoot, I love you."

And the two drifted off to sleep.


End file.
